Happy Holidays

Just want to bring everyone up to date on what is going on at the farm. Over 3/4's of the beef has been delivered and the last few animals are at the processers and will be ready soon. Over the past week some of you have been given some Hiday Farm Jams and Salsas to test for us. Please give us some feedback on the products. You can call me at 517-765-2268 or email me at hoopshiday@aol,com. These are a new line of products we will be carrying with us at the markets this next season. So your opinions are greatly appreciated.

Most of all, everyone hear at the Hiday Farm would like to wish you a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Dan

Happy Thanksgiving

I realize it is the day after Thanksgiving, but we want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Here at the Hiday Farm we are thankful for all of our family and friends.

We are in full swing of getting beef processed and delivered, so you should be hearing from us soon.

Dan

Eastern Market

I just wanted to let the Eastern Market customers know that I will be in Shed #2, booth 214 this Saturday.  This is my usual location.  If you have a Turkey pre-ordered I will have it with me for pick-up from 7 am to 3 pm. I do still have a few 18 lb birds not spoken for yet. They are $3.50 per lb.

I will also have Beef, Pork and Chicken with me on Saturday.

Reminder for our Kalamazoo area friends. We will be at Texas Twp. market on Sunday from 1 to 2 pm. for Turkey pick-up.

Look Forward to seeing you soon.

Dan

Let's Talk Turkey

Turkeys are growing and it is time to start thinking about pick-up time.

East-side :  I will be at the Eastern Market on Saturday November 19th. from 7 am to 3 pm for pick-up.

West-side :  I will be at the Texas Twp. Farmers Market  on Sunday November 20th. from 1 to 2 pm.

Farm pick-ups : CALL and set a time to pick yours up.

I do still have a few turkeys that are not sold yet. Give me a call if you would like one. 517-765-2268

Dan

HAY RIDES

A lot has happened since I last posted on our blog. The reason I have not been on in a while is because we have been hit by a computer virus( as many of you know. SORRY) and I didn't want it getting into this site.

I have been very busy getting ready for this Sunday. The weather forcast is So So, we will pray for the best. The entire family is looking forward to seeing everyone on Sunday. Come out and see what we have been up to. Times and directions are posted in earlier posts.

Kalamazoo friends, keep an eye out on the Gazette. There should be an article coming out soon about the Hiday Farm and BOLD.

See you soon.
Dan

Sunday

I know Sunday is suppose to be a day of rest, but hopefully the good Lord will give this poor farmer a little forgiveness. When you have livestock there are not too many days of rest.

This is going to be a very busy week. Monday I am taking in a steer for processing, so today I have to get him sorted from the herd. Tuesday I will be at the Eastern Market. Then Saturday I had a good Amish friend of mine call me and ask if I could help him paint his barn this week. (I have access to a paint sprayer.) We will probably do a swap of labor. Saturday the 24th I will be at the Texas Twp. farmers market. If it sounds like I am complaining, I'm not, I wouldn't trade my life for anything. I am very thankful for what I have.

Talk to you soon
Dan

DIRECTIONS

From the East take I-94 west to I-69 south. Take I-69 south to exit # 25. The M-60 exit. Go west/right on M-60 for about 3 miles to 12 mile road. Go right/north on 12 mile. Go half a mile north of M-60 on 12 mile to the farm. Parking will be in the field south of the house. Someone will be there to direct you.

From the West take I-94 east to I-69 south. Then same as above.

Our address is:  2948  12 mile road
                         Burlington, Mi. 49029
        
517-765-2268

See you soon

Dan

COMING EVENTS AND SCHEDULE

Well it sure feels like fall is closing in on us. I wanted to give everyone a list of  up-coming events.

Tuesday, Sept. 20th I will be at the Eastern Market from 11am to 7 pm.

Saturday, Sept. 24th, and Oct.8th and 22nd. I will be at Texas Twp. from 8am to 12pm.
( I should have Beef, Pork and Chicken with me at all of the markets)

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16th from 2 to 4 pm will be our FALL OPEN-HOUSE. Call and let us know if you plan on attending so we can plan accordingly.

Dan

Great Time

I had a great time on Tuesday up at the Eastern Market. It is always enjoyable to see old friends and making new ones. We will plan on being back soon.

Well, September is upon us. Pigs and cattle are growing. We will start processing in October and November. If you have any questions, feel free to give me a call.

See you soon.

Dan

Eastern Market

Just a quick note to let you know we will be at the Eastern Market today from 11am to 7pm.  They have a Tuesday market now and we will be in shed 2. Sorry for the late notice I do not know where my mind was. I should have posted this a few days ago. Also, for now we have stopped participating in the Lunasa market.

Dan

BABIES, BABIES and more BABIES

The last few weeks have been very active here at the Hiday Farm. On July 19th. one of the two sows that made the cross-country trip with me gave birth to a nice litter of little piglets. We named the sow Louise. Then on July 29th., Thelma (that's the name we gave the other sow) gave birth to her litter of little piglets. We have had a lot of animals born on this farm, but this is our first time with newborn pigs.
Then on July 31st. one of two cows yet to calve this year had her calf and the next day the last cow to calve had her calf. All 16 cows have now calved.
Hope all is well with you and your families.

Dan

HELLO EVERYONE

From the looks of our blog you would think the Hiday Family has dropped off the face of the earth. NO we haven't, but it has been a very busy summer with so much to talk about I will need a long time to catch you up on everything. I will give you a short tidbit for now. Last week Holly and I made a cross-country trip to pick up two very special girls. We purchased two rare and exotic pigs that are suppose to produce a meat that is out of this world for taste. Both are expecting and we are hoping for some babies any time now.
I will keep you posted and hope to get back on here soon with pictures and the story of Holly and I hauling two bred 350lb pigs half way across the U.S. in 91 degree weather. A trip to remember. And on that note a special Thank You to our new friend Pat, who helped us on our way home. We couldn't have made it without your help.
Talk with you soon.
Farmer Dan

Sunshine

The month of May shot by and I never got a post up on the blog to keep you up to date. Things have been very busy. It has been hard to get work done in the fields in between the rains.The grass has been growing tall and the cattle are loving it.
We have made a huge change in our beef genetics for the future of our herd. We have always tried to be ahead of the curve. We were grass farmers long before most people understood its benfits. This spring we purchased a new bull. We feel he will bring a genetic trait to our beef that will make our beef a little more tender along with being a lot healthier beef to consume. His origin is from Italy and his breed is named Piedmontese. Look up his benefits or stay posted and I will fill you in later.
Remember Detroit customers you can find our product at Kim's Produce on Woodward Ave.
Dan

What a Day

Amazing weather today. It was a great day to work on cleaning out the barn. I got a lot done, but a lot more needs to be done.
Sorry it has been a while since I last posted any updates for you. It has been a busy spring so far. We now have seven new calves and many more yet to come. We also have a 100 chicks started. Pigs will be coming soon along with some ducks.
Now and then I get feedback that yuou would like a little more personal tid bits on the Hiday family. Many of you know my sons Alex, Adam and Aaron. Well for those of you who want some family updates: Alex is now working in Kalamazoo using his engineering degree. Adam will be graduating from college on May 7th and will be working at the hospital while waiting to get into PA school. Aaron is finishing his sophmore year of college and will spend his summer working on a summer internship/research project. Yes it looks like the Old Man is going to be on his own a lot.
Hope all is well with you and your family.
Dan

A Sign Of Spring

Spring is always an exciting time of the year for us. One of the signs of spring on the farm is the arrival of new born calves. Well there may still be snow on the ground, but on Saturday, Feb. 26th. we had the first calf of the 2011 calving season. It is a strapping bull calf that has almost identical markings as his father. His mom is a white belted cow, with a lot of milk. He should grow well. Aaron and I gave him the once over to make sure he is OK and then sent him back to mama. She is a good mama and he will be well taken care of. We won't physically handle him again until it is time to tag him with the USDA required identification tag and to band him. I would expect a couple more calves to be born within the next few weeks and then another bunch in April and May.

See you Soon
Dan

It's Been an Icy Week!

Clean up after the storm...lots of fence repair. Our pine tree out front looks like a giant stick :-(
Got our power back this morning. Today we're going to take a total trip around the perimeter of the farm to assess damages. Then of course, we'll be doing repairs and getting hay and water to the cattle.

Chickens, Turkeys and Ducks, Oh My!

We will raise several batches of chickens this year so that we have plenty with us at the farmer's markets and for those of you who stop by the farm. If you want a consistent supply or several for the freezer, pre-order what you think you may need.

Turkeys must be ordered in May or June to guarantee poult delivery in July, in order to have them ready by Thanksgiving.

Ducks available mid to late summer.

Chickens, turkeys and ducks are processed whole and are frozen.

Dear Friends,

Thank you for supporting the Hiday Farm in 2010. For us, 2010 was a very busy year. We had a good growing season for pasture and at the peak of the season we had 60 head of cattle grazing. Of course, that included mama cows, 2010 calves and steers for the fall processing season. Around 20 pigs spent time on the farm along with several hundred chickens, 50+ turkeys and even a couple flocks of ducks.

Our Fall Open House was a great success and we will have another for 2011.We want our farm and farm practices to be open to our customers. If our Fall Open House date does not work for you and you would like to visit the farm, call and make an appointment We would love to show you around.

We fell grass-finished beef is better for you and the animal but it takes longer to mature than a grain fed, hormone-implanted animal.

Using a grass based system requires the entire growing season to get our beef ready for processing. This is why we don't fill orders until October and go through December. We also use a first come, first serve basis. For example, a customer who ordered in February or March will be on the list for order fulfillment before an order placed in June. Pork works much the same way except we try to get all of those orders completed from late summer to early fall and before we start processing cattle.

We sold every pig and every steer we had ready for processing in 2010. Some late requests were put on the list for 2011. While nice to sell out, we hate turning people away. Current customers were sent an order form in the mail and are encouraged to return these as soon as possible. New customers may call us at the farm (517) 765-2268 and request an order form or place an order over the phone.

Again, thank your continued support and we look forward to seeing you in 2011. We plan on being at the Eastern Market in Detroit, Fresh-on-Q in Kalamazoo and the LUNASA market in Ann Arbor. Stop in and say hello!


http://www.detroiteasternmarket.com/
http://www.discoverkalamazoo.com/member-profile/92/294/
http://www.lunasa.us/

Winter Chores

You would think that this time of the year would mean less to do on the farm. But lately that seems to be just the opposite. The cattle reqiure more work and of course there is the year end paper-work to do. I am trying to get the newsletter finished and hope to have it out to you soon.

Eastern Market friends we plan on being up to the market on Saturday, Jan. 22nd.

Looking Back and Looking Forward

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Looking back at 2010, the Hidays have a lot to be thankful for. We are a very blessed family. As for the Farm, it was a very busy year. In some areas we pushed our production to the limit.

Looking forward to 2011, Our farm goal is to produce beyond what we thought was our limit.

News letters will be in the mail soon along with 2011 order forms. Please read, there will be a lot of new information you will need to be aware of.

Dan